> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.perform.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create a Return with a preprinted label

> Register a return whose label already shipped inside the outbound box.

Some merchants ship a **preprinted return label** inside the outbound parcel. When the consumer uses it, no label needs generating — you just register the Return Shipment so Perform.AI can track it. This is the same `POST /v5/return/` endpoint as [Create a Return](/guides/create-return), with a different request shape. Full specs: [API reference](/api-reference/v5/returns/create-return).

<Info>
  The Returns APIs are available to accounts using the **Perform.AI Returns Experience**. Contact your account team to enable it.
</Info>

<Info>
  The preprinted-label flow additionally requires the **Preprinted Return Labels** setting on your account — contact your account team.
</Info>

## The request: shipment only

Send **only the `shipment` object** — no `return_ticket`:

```bash theme={null}
curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.perform.ai/v5/return/ \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "shipment": {
      "shipment_id": "SHP-RET-2026-000043",
      "tracking_number": "00340434616780000099",
      "carrier_reference": "dhl-ecommerce-de",
      "order_id": "ORD-2026-000114",
      "to_address": { "first_name": "Perform", "last_name": "Warehouse", "line1": "12 Hafenstrasse", "postal_code": "10115", "city": "Berlin", "country_code": "DE" }
    }
  }'
```

Field rules for this flow:

| Field                                   | Requirement                                                                                                                                                          |
| --------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `shipment_id`                           | **Required.**                                                                                                                                                        |
| `tracking_number` + `carrier_reference` | **Required if you are not using Perform.AI Booking** — the preprinted label's tracking number and its carrier, so tracking works from the moment the consumer ships. |
| `order_id`                              | Highly recommended — links the return to the outbound order.                                                                                                         |
| Addresses                               | `recipient`, `sender`, `to`, `from` — no `return_address` in this flow.                                                                                              |

<Warning>
  Only the `notification_email` / `notification_phone` arrays subscribe recipients to tracking notifications. The `email` and `phone` inside address objects are contact data — they never receive notifications.
</Warning>

The response is the nested `data.shipment` + `data.return_ticket` shape described in [Create a Return](/guides/create-return).

## Updating later

Use the [preprinted-label update variant](/guides/update-return-preprinted-label) — identification works by `shipment_id`/`shipment_uuid` in this flow.